The producers of The Bardy Bunch, an extremely clever and winning musical parody, have announced an early closing date for the show. Originally scheduled to run through November 27, it will now close October 23.
The show, which imagines the titular clans of ’70s sitcoms The Brady Bunch and The Partridge Family as bloody Shakespearean rivals, originated at the New York International Fringe Festival and went on to an Off Broadway run. The Chicago production, a commercial run at the Mercury Theater, features mostly Chicago-based actors.
It's been a tough fall for commercial theater productions in Chicago. Late Friday night, the producers of Cheers Live on Stage announced an abrupt early close as well; originally planned to be at the Broadway Playhouse through October 23, it played its final performance yesterday, with future touring plans uncertain. (Chicago had been the second stop on an announced 14-city tour.) And that followed the quick demise last month of the musical Helldrivers of Daytona at the Royal George Theatre, which closed days after opening to blistering reviews.
Unlike the putrid Helldrivers and pointless Cheers, though, The Bardy Bunch deserved to find the Chicago audience it apparently hasn't reached. Featuring an ingenious high/low concept and packed with winning performances, it's a shame that it will meet an early end. Tickets remain on sale for the final two weeks.
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